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May 4, 2015

I am all about the simple little pleasures in life that make a huge difference in my day. As the mom of 3 growing boys, and wife to a police officer husband whose work schedule changes from day to day, I have learned to carve out a few minutes to myself during the day to re-charge. Because life sometimes gets overwhelming. And we deserve a break, right? Simple things like fresh flowers, a good book and a sweet treat can go a long way in reducing stress. Taking a little break just makes the whole day better.

My most sacred "me time" is just before elementary school pick-up, around 2:30pm. Throughout the day, I have been busy working on this blog and taking care of all the many things that are necessary to keep our home up and running. I am sure all moms can relate! We juggle so many different roles every day, but often don't feel like we're doing all of them really well. Sometimes it's important to take a moment to focus ourselves and to pause from our everyday busyness to savor the present.

I like to take a few moments to enjoy my afternoon tea and treat myself to a couple of Pepperidge Farm® Milano® Cookies (the Mint Milano cookies have been a long time favorite of mine!). I gather my thoughts, maybe read a chapter in a book, and mostly just savor the quiet. Because the busiest part of my day is about to happen! With school age kids, it seems the most important (and craziest) parenting hours are those from when school gets out until bedtime. I want to be fully present with my kids as we get homework done, take care of the many after school activities, and finally cook dinner and eat together. It is a lot to get done in a short amount of time.

But before all that happens, if I take a few moments for myself, I am ready to face the rest of my day head on. When my kids were younger, I always savored their nap time as my time. Now that they are in school all day, I find that I need to consciously stop myself from all of the running around and take some time to re-group. It makes all the difference.

What is your favorite way to take a moment for yourself? Tell me in the comments to enter for a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card.

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155 comments:

My favorite special moments are first thing in the morning. After the dogs have gone outside. That's my time to have my first cup of coffee of the day. (always the BEST cup!) I've been known to eat half a bag of Milano cookies on my way home from the grocery store. They are dangerous.

Courtney, I just started reading your blog this year and Love, Love, Love your home. So warm and welcoming! I just read today's post while starting my day with a cup of coffee and wanted to tell you that I too am a wife to a police officer (now retired). I have a graduating senior this year and am crazy busy. (there is so much to do) I also found that I own two of the cups that are on the table! Now if I can just find that pitcher! So yeah, this is my time to catch up with blogs and such before starting my day at work.

My favorite "Me time" is after my daughter gets home from work…(I watch my 3 grandchildren while she teaches)... Then I have my peaceful time when I get home to get my thoughts together and relax before it's time to think about dinner…I enjoy spending time on my computer with Pinterest ( we're doing our kitchen over )and that is where I found your blog and subscribed to it….LOVE your kitchen and am definitely ordering a pot filler now in my plans

When my daughter was young, getting up a little earlier than anyone else gave me some quiet time before we started the day. Even now, as empty nesters, I still like my quiet time in the morning before our day starts. A hot cup of tea, reading a few chapters in a book or catching up with blogs is the perfect start to the day!

https://twitter.com/yarnygrl/status/595366101942337536When I have the house to myself and can curl up on the couch with something to read, a cool drink and a little snack (either ice cream or I do like those Milanos). Sorry for the repeat. I did it wrong :/

I have me time before anyone wakes up. I have my coffee, catch up on blogs that I follow and sometimes do a little online shopping :) The silence and quiet is wonderful. Sometimes I even get up early to do this when I dont have to. Its just so enjoyable

I know this will sound strange, but my favorite "me" time is the thirty minutes it takes to drive home after work. I just bought a new car and it has satellite radio so I can listen to my favorite music (instead of listening to whatever my son flips to when he's in the car), and I've starting taking a new, quieter route home that's mostly through countryside instead of town. It's my down time because as soon as I get home I know I'll get met with "what's for dinner?" and the evening's activities.

One of my favorites is my 'lazy days'; I spend a whole day doing nothing productive. I read, listen to music, take a walk, watch old movies, take a long bubble bath, sip some wine or eat some dark chocolate.....and sometimes just daydream the day away. This is a rare treat for me.

I take a moment by curling up on the couch when the kids are entertaining themselves or in bed or by taking a bubble bath with a good book or kindle, something sweet and something with caffeine to drink